Arm Candy: A Walk on the Starry Side with Celebrity ‘handler’ Christopher Gaida

Want some inside showbiz gossip from a man in the know? Get ready to read a warts’n’all book by Hollywood red carpet escort Christopher Gaida. And when we say escort, we don’t mean that sort of escort, we mean the type that steers his Hollywood stars down the red carpet, making sure they are guided to the right people and dodge any potential mishaps.

Christopher Gaida is so good at his job of relaxing his A List stars that he has earned the moniker ‘Celebrity Whisperer’, as he seems to know exactly what to say and do in times of stress and meltdowns. A case in question, back in 2007, just a few minutes before Transformers star Megan Fox was due to go onstage at the Teen Choice Awards, she started to panic and wanted desperately to speak to her co star Shia LaBeouf. Shia however, could not be found anywhere, so Gaida stepped in, relaxed the nervous starlet and calmed her down. “I told her she was fantastic, that she looked great, to relax, everybody loves her,’ he said. ‘No b.s., just what I really, truly thought.”

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Whatever he did it worked because now certain stars such as Susan Lucci personally request Gaida as their escort for a posh red carpet event.

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The job sounds pretty glamourous, so what does it entail? Gaida says that a few weeks before an awards show, he’ll be assigned to his celebrity. On the night of the vent he will meet the star at their limo as they arrive for the red-carpet, and then introduce himself to their publicist and manager, before greeting his A-list client directly. The itinerary for the night will have been already discussed weeks before the night, such as how long the star wants to stay on the carpet for photos, to how many interviews they will do, and what media outlets they want to avoid, and this is what Gaida’s main job is to ensure.

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So you would expect the 38 year old to have tonnes of gossip about his work, and he has, and luckily for us normal folk, he has decided to write it all down in his new book Arm Candy, which comes out today, available from all good retailers for $24.99.

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In his book, Gaida tells the story of how his opinion on fashion made Jessica Alba change her mind about wearing a certian dress at the 2007 Taurus World Stunt Awards. He suggested backstage that she choose a different dress before the carpet. Taking his advice, she slipped into navy blue sequin Chanel number. He recalls: “I told her I liked the dress because it was sexy and shiny. It just really showed her personality as fun, young and lively,’ he added, “They’re hiring me because they want my expertise. I feel like it’s my job to give my opinion.”

One person that did not value Gaida’s opinion however, was Hollywood actress Sharon Stone. He was hired to escort the blonde beauty at the 1999 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards, but when he went to introduce himself, Ms Stone would not shake his hand and demanded that he walk three steps ahead of her at all times and never look back.

Meanwhile at the 2009 Emmys, he said he was unable to convince Christian Slater to wrap up an interview, and the pair found themselves locked out of the show. “He knew that it was his fault,” said Gaida.

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Gaida has ubdoubtably escorted some of the worlds biggest stars, including Sandra Bullock, Fergie, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Megan Fox, Courtney Love, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Queen Latifah, Susan Lucci, Betty White as well as dozens of others. And as his book hits the stores today, just weeks before the Academy Awards, he might well think that his escorting days are over.

“Some insecure management-level people are worried that I’m revealing too much, and the secrets of Hollywood,” he said. “One producer said to me she was worried I’d ruin award shows forever. I was like, “Wow, I have that much power?”